"Harvest Year" is the most solemn traditional festival of Li nationality, which is equivalent to the Spring Festival of Han nationality. In addition, due to the different geographical and cultural environments, the "rich age" of the Li nationality also varies from place to place. "Harvest" plays an important role in the inheritance of Li culture. Let's take a look at the different "harvest years" in different areas of the Li nationality.

Generally speaking, it takes about one month from the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month to the tenth day of the first month of the second year. This period is the season when cherry blossoms are in full bloom, so every year cherry blossoms are the Lisu people's New Year and the Lisu people's "harvest year".

The purpose of a "good year" can be summarized as four: first, to worship heaven and earth and pray for blessings; The second is to pray for our ancestors. The third is to seek the protection of Dagoma and drive away the ghosts of the gods. The fourth is to pray for heaven and earth to adjust the weather and get a bumper harvest in the new year. This is the origin of the Harvest Festival.

Before the festival, Lisu people slaughtered pigs and sheep, brewed water wine, made corn harrows, and gave gifts to each other according to whether they wanted to have enough food and clothes in the new year. Young people tied colorful doors to the village chief's fence and surrounded the activity area. On the morning of the festival, every family scrambled to collect the branches and leaves of pine trees, spread them in the house and put them at the door to show good luck. Then, people wearing holiday costumes gathered in public places in their village, presided over by pastor Barbie, and held a ceremony to welcome the new and the old.

At the beginning of the ceremony, a pine tree was planted in the center of the lawn, and the crossbows and ribbons carefully embroidered by the girls hung on the branches. There is a big basket full of buckwheat under the tree. It is surrounded by 12 small basket of buckwheat and 12 cans of new wine, symbolizing 12 months in a year. Barbie stood in the middle, reciting the history of this country and wishing good luck in the new year.

After that, Barbie took 12 young men and women to play the cucurbit flute and sing happy folk songs. He brought 12 small pine tree into the mountain and planted it next to 12 small grain baskets, which meant bringing back an auspicious new year. Then, 12 cans of buckwheat wine were poured for everyone to drink, and crossbow shooting, dancing, singing and swinging activities began. The whole village is intoxicated with the festive atmosphere of men, women and children.

In the open season, crossbow competition does not require registration or payment. People use crude oil and meat brought voluntarily as arrows. The shooters take turns to compete. Whoever hits the target will get crude oil and meat. He who shoots thick meat is the best shooter.

Customs of Lisu Autonomous Prefecture

Lisu people are mainly concentrated in the Nujiang River Basin in Yunnan Province. Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture is the only Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in China. When the local Lisu people celebrate the Spring Festival, every household will pound long rice cakes and waxy corn cakes to brew mellow water wine. In order to pray for a bumper harvest and happiness in the coming year, every household will put the first mashed indica rice rice cake on peach and pear trees.

You can't eat at someone else's house on New Year's Eve, otherwise it will disappear like the moon. So every family member can't go out that night, and the whole family must get together for a reunion dinner. In the ancient legend of Lisu people, it was dogs that brought rice seeds back to the world. Lisu people also presented a bowl of rice, a long rice cake and a piece of meat to the dog as a reward for the New Year sacrifice.

Nujiang inland customs

Lisu people live in different "harvest years", even in Nujiang area. Lisu people in Gongxian and Bijiang have a "bumper harvest year", from the first day to the twelfth day of the festival, which means that there are 12 months in a year. During the Spring Festival, the whole family has a rest, and everyone wears their best clothes to celebrate the festival. Autumn poles and viaducts were set up in the village, and sports competitions such as swinging and high jump were held.

Young people embrace the pipa and invite girls to sing and dance in the wild. Or go to the beach by the Nujiang River to play the game of "river sand burying people" and boating bamboo raft competition. The old man was very tired after drinking' singing'. He drank a bowl of water wine, rested for a while, and then sang for several days and nights. The seventh day of the festival is women's rest day. On this day, women don't carry water or cook. The ninth day is people's day off. On this day, people neither carry water nor cook, nor go hunting in the mountains. The custom of seven women and nine men competing on the same stage is an ancient custom passed down from generation to generation by the Lisu people.

Lu county customhouse

In the "bumper harvest year", Lisu people in Lushui County have the habit of "spring bath". Any place with hot springs is where they gather and bathe. The "Canyon Sixteen Soups" near Liuku, the capital of the autonomous prefecture, is also an excellent place for "spring bath". The "bathroom meeting" of Donggan bathroom and flax bathroom near Liuku has a history of hundreds of years.

On the second or third day of the "harvest year", Lisu people will take their luggage, prepare food, set up bamboo sheds near the hot springs, eat and drink at the hot springs and take a hot bath. In order to wash the hot springs, someone has to walk hundreds of miles of mountain roads. Singers from dozens or hundreds of miles nearby will gather here, divided into two groups, men and women, singing and dancing.

Hungry, they eat their own wine and delicious food. When you are tired, go to a temporary tent to rest. Eat, sleep, sing and dance to the fullest. At the same time, swings, crossbows and theatrical performances were held. Young men and women exchange feelings and choose partners through various activities.

Baoshan customs in Yunnan

Lisu people in Tengchong County, Baoshan District, Yunnan Province will also hold a performance of "climbing mountains to reduce fire". They chose 72 steel knives. First, they try to see if they are sharp. If not, they don't want it. Then the steel knife is firmly tied to two poles, tied into a "knife ladder" and fixed on the flat ground. Barefoot Lisu people step on the steel knife, climb the ladder step by step, perform various actions on the ladder, and throw red flags inserted at the top of the pole in all directions.

Then walk step by step, don't hurt your feet. At night, they piled a piece of red-hot charcoal on the ground and walked barefoot through the burning charcoal fire. Seeing Lisu people "going up and down the mountain" not only made them nervous, but also left a deep impression on their bravery.

folklore

There is a beautiful and touching legend. 1000 years ago, there was a huge dam in the south of Qinghai, where hundreds of families lived. They live in harmony, exchange needed goods and live a peaceful and beautiful life. One of them is Abboud, who has three sons. Yes, the eldest son, the second is Hua, the third is Yu Heng, and the third is Ma.

This family works hard, the husband and wife respect each other as guests, and the three sons are obedient and filial. Their life is enviable, but one year, the capital sent soldiers to catch it, saying that there was a war ahead and all family members were going. The man who captured the soldier said viciously, "You have three brothers in your family. You must go to the front. There are two more. No matter who goes or stays, you must give an answer within five days. " The three brothers dared not make any noise and looked at each other.

In the evening, they gathered around the fireplace to discuss countermeasures and study how to escape from the devil's clutches. Abboud said, "Now there are two roads in front of us. One is to become a powerful person and be controlled by them. This is the way to die. One is to escape. There may be a way to escape. " The two younger brothers also have plans to run away, but they love each other deeply. It's hard to say whether they are alive or dead. Neither of them said a word.

Abboud added, "I don't want to leave you, but if I don't run, I will die. I'd better run. " The two brothers thought for a moment, and then said in unison, "That's settled." After that, the three brothers fought chicken blood together and vowed with one voice to travel all over the world, never forgetting the kindness of their parents to raise them, the love of their ancestors when they left their roots, not seeking to live and die with their compatriots, but only forgetting their flesh and blood, life and dreams and returning to their hometown after death.

Go ahead boldly. Success is at our feet. Year after year, a new year has come. When a person is only one year old and "rich", it is destined to meet thousands of miles away. It is difficult to separate one person's heart from another's. The root of this tree is in Gao Qian. People go back to their hometown not far from Wan Li. When the cherry blossoms first bloomed, Du Gengchun was very busy. The traditional "broadness" is year after year, and falling leaves are ultimately fate.

The next night, the three brothers cried bitterly. They can't be separated. They encouraged each other, prayed to each other and bid farewell to the place where their ancestors lived. Brother walked first with a crossbow on his back. I don't know how many nights he walked, how many mountains he climbed, and finally crossed the ocean to another country. Second brother Apotheker put away his long knife and dried his tears. He bid farewell to his eldest brother and mother and fled to the south to settle down.

Abboud helped the old and the young, dragging children and women through the dark Montenegro. Hungry, eat fried noodles, thirsty, drink cold water all day. I don't know how many mountains and rivers I climbed, but on the tenth day, my elderly and frail mother finally fell ill. The couple are doing nothing in despair. Despite the call of the soul and the sacrifice of the ghost, my mother gave up.

The couple had to bury the old man with tears in their eyes, dry their tears, pack up their things and take their children to the west. Five days later, they came to the east bank of Lancang River. Looking across the river, they could vaguely see some scattered wooden houses under the Xuefeng on the other side. The smoke column on the roof made the whole family happy. They have been away from home for more than ten days. This is the first time they have seen a farmer's family, but how can the surging river cross it?

When Abboud saw the dense bamboo forest along the Lancang River, he became interested in his plan. He waved a broadsword and cut down the bamboo in a few strokes. Then, he tied them in a row, made a raft and cut two oars. He steered at the bow and told his wife to support him at the stern. With a bag of cigarettes floating, the family finally reached the west bank of Lancang River.

After a short rest, they continued on their way. I don't know how many roads they walked, but in the end they came to a small stockade. Upon inquiry, they know that this is a stockade of Lisu people with more than 20 families. They soon left the mainland because of the war. Although the mountains are steep, steep and sparsely populated, it is still far from being a place of right and wrong.

After discussion, the couple decided to settle here. The next day, too many chefs began to build houses with cutting materials, thatched roofs, stones and stones. After several days of hard work, a three-bedroom wooden wall house was built! The family lives happily in it!

A few days later, for the next year's life, everyone cut trees on sunny slopes, green heads and forest edges with knives and hoes, then lit a fire on the ground, planted rice and wheat in mild places, and planted soybeans, corn, buckwheat, indica rice and oats in steep places. In order to prevent birds and animals from destroying crops, people also built sheds and sent people to protect them.

When there is no work to do, men go hunting birds and deer in the wild to find bees, and women sew linen at home. How time flies! The cherry blossoms are in full bloom again. It's time for "generalized time self". He said to Abboud's family, "We don't have a big pig. We want to shoot wild boar in the wild. We didn't use wild silkworm rice cakes instead. We use wild boar heads and wild silkworm rice cakes to commemorate our ancestors and express our thoughts for the dead. Once a year, forever. "